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The Insight

Percipient thought-pieces and opinions from some
of the world’s most respected industry leaders.

Stephen Barnes by Stephen Barnes on 8th July 2025

Stephen Barnes, Founder of technical and creative agency Collective, observes that while artificial intelligence is at the heart of the latest existential crisis to agitate the movie industry, AI-powered digital twins are reshaping advertising film production.

3rd Jul
ANIMATION FOCUS
To infinity and beyond: The enduring appeal of stop-motion

To infinity and beyond: The enduring appeal of stop-motion

In 1995 Toy Story burst onto cinema screens, apparently heralding the end of stop-motion as an art form. That proved not to be the case, and Not to Scale director Anthony Farquhar-Smith examines the ongoing appeal and artistic merit of stop-motion animation.

2nd Jul
No more 'sadvertising': How to film emotionally charged topics sensitively

No more 'sadvertising': How to film emotionally charged topics sensitively

After burning out, director Jon Bregel rediscovered what really mattered to him: filming honest, human stories with care. He shares why trust, conviction, and small crews matter when tackling heavy topics like grief and trauma, and how to create work that moves people without feeling fake or forced.

1st Jul
ANIMATION FOCUS
How motion can be the body language of branding

How motion can be the body language of branding

Kicking off shots' Animation Focus, Chris Chapman, Creative Director of Design, adam&eveDDB, explores the oft-ignored importance of movement in creating a brand’s identity and messaging.

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Beyond rom coms: How brands can engage today’s female film fans
27th Jun

Beyond rom coms: How brands can engage today’s female film fans

While cinema audiences have traditionally skewed male, things are changing. With a series of more female-focussed releases, and with women more cinematically engaged, Clare Turner, Chief Commercial Officer at Pearl & Dean, looks at how and why advertisers need to take advantage of the big screen.

19th Jun
CANNES LIONS 2025
Creativity versus class; the great brain robbery

Creativity versus class; the great brain robbery

Creativity is steadily being siphoned off. It's created by the few and attended by the few, with the creative industries completely shutting out the working classes. Cannes, says shots Culture Editor Amy Kean, is a perfect example.

18th Jun
Beyond lived experience: the responsibility of telling someone else’s story

Beyond lived experience: the responsibility of telling someone else’s story

Rachel McDonald, the director behind last year’s powerful short film Hermanos – about migrant families separated at the US border – explores the sensitivities required, and the privilege of, portraying someone else’s narrative.

17th Jun
CANNES LION 2025
Structured serendipity; a strategist’s guide to killing it on the Croisette

Structured serendipity; a strategist’s guide to killing it on the Croisette

Will Sansom gives the down-low on the ways to survive and thrive at Cannes Lions.

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What the F1 movie teaches us about authentic branded entertainment
11th Jun

What the F1 movie teaches us about authentic branded entertainment

With F1 The Movie soon to hit cinema screens, Claire Prince, Head of Branded Entertainment at EssenceMediacom, looks at how some brands have successfully integrated themselves into entertainment, and why not being afraid to get real has seen them first across the finish line.

10th Jun
Disability, accessibility and the fight to get to Cannes

Disability, accessibility and the fight to get to Cannes

A recent LinkedIn post from Kelly Gordon about her inability to attend the Cannes Lions due to her wheelchair use has seen a deluge of questions and many offers of help. Here, Gordon, a Co-Founder of With Not For, and her business partner Emma Gardner, talk about the issues around disability in the workplace, the struggle to make it to the Croisette, and what you can do to help.

30th May
AI-pocalypse Now; the great creative panic

AI-pocalypse Now; the great creative panic

With the release of Google's Veo 3, which gives AI images the ability to talk, artificial intelligence has taken another leap forward. But, says Chris Baker, Head of New Business at Park Village, don't bow down to the hype, because the human fingerprint will always win out.

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